Card-file.



No. 814,816. v

G.' A. WHEELER- CARD FILE. v ABPLIOATION HAZLBD SEPT. 2a, 1902.

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PATENTED MAR. 1s. 1906.

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' GEORGE A. WHEELEROF ifi-EW YRK, .NQ Y.

Specification of Letters Patent.

oase-sire Patented March 13,1906. l

ipiicaeim met semana 2s, 190:11. sain No. 124.573'.

To @ZZ wlwm `zt-moby concer-11,: Be it known that I, GEORGE A..Wiinni.nii, a citizenY of the United States, residing in New eYork city, inthe county of Kings and.

State of New York, have invented new and useful Improvements in Card-Files, of which the' following desoription,` takeii in connection with the accompanying drawings, is a'. specification.

The object of my improvements isto pro- Vide means that will facilitate the separation of the cards for reading, 'as lwell as permit of any particular card or group-of cards being' so disposed with relation to` thejwhole number as to be readily found a ain. l

It has beenoustoinary .or receptacles to permanently retain the cards with their edges even. ,In receptacles now in use the cards,l

- which are straight upon their bottom' edges,

stand in a sil )stantially vertical position upon a base or bottom su stantially dat, and beingelosely engaged by theeides ol the re i oeptacle it is impossible to slide the cards upoiieach other so as to project the edges of ad'acent cards the one beyond the other in or er to facilitate their separation..

My 'improvements provide a suitable edge for the bottoms of the cards, upon which fthe may be tilted at varying angles, toe get ier with proper clearance for the cards when so tilted and e means of retaining lthe oard's suoli as to allow them to assume the varions positions. i By tilting the cards ver-tie cally at varyingangles corresponding ed es of adjacent cards atyeprojeoted the one eyond the other, makin their separation easy.

The purposes and a vantages of umy invention will be' more fully pointed out in the dee scription which follows and its scope will be taken in a lane vertical to the bottom of the drawer an yyparallel' with and facing the front thereof y athy point immediately back of the thumb iiiFifg. 1, but with the thumb omitted. Fig; 5 isl'al view similar to Fig. 4, but shows a modified form ofmy improved ca iclLiile. Fig.

. 6 is a face View of an index-card the modi- ;[ied form.

The views show iny improvements em bodied in the the back, e and c the sides, and d the bottoni.

referred form of a box 'orf drawer of a cabinet, of whielia is the liront, bf

ll have shown ay drawer of a single coinpartnient but it will be understood that a drawer may contain two or more compartments, and as the cardsstand on edge transversely of 'the drawer a coinpartinentis of a suitablewidth 65 to receive them, allowing for the tilting ofthe '1 eards,`as hereinafter described. The coinpartinent or drawer may be further provided with a loolorod r, which passes through an aperture t in the cards and may be secured in the drawer in any of the usual ways, but is in a position different from present practices, as will be pointed out. usuel, there is a stationary slentine' block g with a rod-hole ofand a iollowenbloeit g with a rod hole o is slidingly mounted in the Preierabl also, asis drawer in any suitable or well-known Wely, y

the usual channel u for receiving the attac ments of block g being shown; but the attaelimentsthemselves are omitted, since they formed no part of my present invention.' f

I will now describe the special devices Jleniploy and the manner of their operation.

At one side of the center ani; tom of -the drawer and extending ionggitndif nelly thereof I provide en cdgeor surface e, which is preferably looated underneath the cards and orined on or attached to the bot toni dof the drawer and with its highest face flush with the general surface of tlieibttom d. Oli the side of e away iorin the center of the' drawer, as at d', the bottom is lower than the' general xsurface' or maybe inortised out at essary clearance for the cards while being` manea-r the. bot

ni ulated, as hereinafter described; Prefei'- y ab y directly over and on a line with but somewhat above c I secure the loekrod r,.

which extends longitudinally of. the'drawer, While the cards t have apertures t cut near ICO the bottoni and adjacent to one end ot the cards in alinenient with the position of the look-rod r, with which the cards t engage.

The cards t are not straight upon their bot toni edges, 'but have a portion" out away, as at 9:, formingr va salient aliglewith apex at e.

This apex e serves as a pivot or bearing upon;

which the cards may be tilted in the planes 0f their faces. i

The purposes of the` above-described devices will now be' readily n'nderstoodb referring to the drawings.. 4The cards'ort inarily stand with. their edges even, but upon placing l ter of the gard. in other words, the card the thumb upon the top edges ot a group of the cards at their ends adjacent to the apertures i t and. pressing down, while holding thei thumb inclined forward, as indicated in Fig. 1., the hottoi'i'iedges of these cards will bear upon the tilting edge e', and the ends of the cards upon which the thumb rests will be deressed at sliwhtl 'r-var infT angles the card at b o b I ro the front being lowest, and the opposite ends of the cards will he elevated to a height as proportionately greater as the distance of these ends from the pivotal point e is greater than thev opposite ends upon which the thumb rests, and in like )roportion the angles of separation between the edges of the cards will be greater, with the highest card in front. in these positions it will be readily understood that the cards can he easily separated, since the iingers of the other hand can he brought in eontaet with the edge of but one card at a time and `when the group of cards is gone over another and another may he manipulated in like manner until the desired Card; or cards are iound. Should it then be desired to/j i/l'aee one or more of these partienlar eards/'/that they may be readily found again w "l out removing them from the pack, it is only/necessary to set them 1n a tilted positiomzi cards u vnd with their edges even. Thus both ir eparating the cards and in referring to previously-seleeted cards much time and annoyance are saved.

In Figs. 5 and 6 l have shown the tilting edge e upon the cards themselves, in which oase, of course, the drawer-bottpm may he of uniform height, as the portion eut from the cards at :c provides clearance for them to tilt. In other respects the operation is the same as in the forms'shown in the other figures, the loeation or' the aperture t being the same, as will he observed.

From Figs. l and 5 it will be observed that at the leit-hand side edges of the cards zich of the tilted cards projects a short distance beyond the succeeding card-that la, the one to the rear of it. Bv tilting` the cards to this position by means oi the right hand thus snpporting them the lingers of the lelt hand can engage each front card separately at its sido edge and draw it forward without disturbing the cards to the rear of such card. By turning the hex end for end from the position cards with the left hand on the sido c, that is now on the left hand of the aperture, it will be ohvious thatthe relative position of the cards indicated at the left hand in Fig. 2 wiil now he at the right-hand side, and the cards can he turned forward separately by the lingers ot' the right hand instead of by the lol't, as in the previous instance; ibut instead ol turning the box end for end the Fulcrum iportion e orecan he shifted to theother sideo the cenishown in Fig. l, While the rest of theshown in Fig. i, and thereupon tilting thev shown in Fig. (i will he practi 'ally reversed or the bottom d oi the box (shown in Fig. 4) will he turned end for end, bringing the depression il to the other sido of the box. or receptaele.

Although l have pointed out and shown suitahle methodsoi constructingniyimprove-- ments, l do not Wish to limit in vself to thc specific forms shown and described, since some variations therefrom might be used without departing from the intent ol'v my in vention` What l claim, and desire to secure by lietters Patent, is-

1. ln an index-card file, an index-card hav ing a tilting surface e' upon one of its edges and an aperture t adjacent thereto.

2. In a card-ille consisting of a series of cards having apertures ada tod to engage a locking-rod, a series of simi r surfaces upon edges of the cards adjacent lo said apertures and adapted to form pivotal bearings upon which the cards 1r e tilted in the planes ol their faces, substantially as and for thc purpose set forth.

3. ln a carddndcx device, a casing, and a card normali)Y supported in thc casing in an upright iosition, one of such members being provided witl a fulcrum portion dis ioscd adjacent to the bottom of tac card an( between its ends7 on which the card can he tilted in the` plane of its ieee from its upright position.

4. ln a card-index device` a casing, and a card nornuilly supported in the casing in an upright iosilion, one of sueh members being provid/.d with a iulcrum portion disposed coincident with the bottom of the card and be tn'ccn its ends, on which the card can be tilted in the plano ol" its'iuee from its upright position.

5. in n card-index device, a easing, and n card normally supported in the casing in an upright position, one of such members boing providc with a iulcruln portion disposed ad- ]uccnt to the bottoni of th(` card and located at one sido ol' thc middle vertical line of the card, on which thc card can be tilted in thc plano ol' ils lace from its upright'position.

li. In a card-index device, a casing, and a card normallv lsupported in the casing in up right position7 ono oi such mcmbcrs being formed with a salient angle whcrcon the card can bo tilted in tho plane of its face from its upright position.

7. ln a card-indox device, a casing, and a eard normally supported in thc casing in upright position, one' oi' such members being formcd willi a salient anglo whcrcou the card can he tilted in the plane of its face from its upright position, the apex of suoli :ingle bc* ing disposed to one sido ol' the middle vcrtical line` of the card.

8. ln a card-inde): device, a easing, and a set ol cards, eaeh card being normally sup which` the side edge in .per corner of each oar vwill project a short f ported in tlie casing in an upright position, one of such members being provided, With a fulcrum o rtion disposed a jacentto the bottom of t e card between its ends, on which the cards can be tilted to relative positions in roximity to one updistance' beyond the corresponding part of the sueceeding card.

l Series i cards each/normally supported the casing in an upright position, one of such 9. In a card-index device a casing, and a I members being provided with a f ulcrum poi` tion disposed adjacent tothe bottom of the card between itsends, on whichthe cardcan be tilted in the plane of its facefrom itslupright posit-ion', and registering apertures in proximity to such fulthe cards located in cruin portions. l. p

10. 'In a cardeindex device, a series of cards,'and a casin arranged to supportthe cards, each card iaving afulcrum portion formed; on its bottom edge between its ends, whereb the cards lcan be tilted to a. position. in whicllone side in proximity to the up er corner of each card'Will project a short distance beyond the correspondingpert of the sueceedir'ig card.

I 11. A. card for e. card-index file, provided Witliav fulcrum onits bottom edge between its ends.

. A12. A cardsfor a. card-index iile, provided with a fulcrum on .its bottom edgelocated l)e,

tween its ends andto one side oi the middle bottomy edge formed'of tWo straight parts' vmeetin at an angle. l Y

of siich'edge.

13. A card for a eard-index file, having its 14. ycard for a card-index iilel1'avi1v1giitsl bottom edge inclined upward at one side to formafulcrum.

15. A card fer a card-indexiile,l provided with a fulcrum on its bottom edge whereon the card can be tilted-in the plane of its face,

and ankaperture located in proximity to such apex.

16. A card v with a ulcrum on its bottom edge located to for e card-index iilefprovided I I oneside of the middleof such edge, and an 

